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Three thousand years ago the Phoenicians, whose lands corresponds
to present-day Lebanon and coastal parts of Israel and Syria, brought the olive
to new colonies in Mediterranean ports. Later, the Romans would trade olives as
one of their more gentle means of settling local frictions.
In the 6th
century, French craftsmen combined the ashes from sea plants with locally
pressed olive oils to make the world's first olive oil soaps. New factories in Marseille, Genoa, Lisbon, and Istanbul began a
tradition of soapmaking that would become world-famous. |
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In Marseille, the number of soap factories reached more than
one hundred in the twentieth century. Workers gently stirred the delicate
mixture in old cauldrons and filled huge pits with a deep-green paste. In a
process spanning generations, the hardened blocks were stamped with special
marks and dried in the sun and marine winds.
Today, making a statement
for simplicity, purity and tradition, the descendants of early soapmakers
continue the craft. Their dedication ensures the legendary quality of one of
mankind's most time-tested creations. Our modern lives seem to need more than
ever the healthful, uncomplicated care of pure olive oil
soaps. next . . . |
